1. Field of the Technology
The present disclosure relates generally to radio communications, and more particularly to techniques for communicating data which include the selection of an RF channel for communications.
2. Description of the Related Art
Mobile communication devices configured to operate in accordance with IEEE 802.11 standards or the like may communicate in wireless local area networks (WLANs). It is desirable for such mobile devices to be able to communicate one or more files, such as one or more documents, images, or video files, etc., to/from other communication devices.
Today, such mobile devices may be configured to enter into an access point (AP) mode of operation, so that other communication devices may associate with them for direct communications therebetween. This AP mode of operation, which may be referred to as a “Micro-AP mode”, provides a benefit due to the high data rates available over WLAN links. This mode is intended to replace the “ad-hoc mode” offered by the IEEE 802.11 standard.
Unfortunately, the Micro-AP mode results in relatively higher power consumption from use of the WLAN radio and its associated host activities, even during idle state. To offset this negative tradeoff, there are initiatives which plan on using a co-located, low-power, radio operative in accordance with BLUETOOTH® standards. BLUETOOTH® is a registered trademark of Bluetooth SIG, Inc. Examples of such initiatives include standards which include IEEE 802.11 CLPP and IEEE 802.11 AMP. The WLAN connection and its parameters would be negotiated between the mobile devices over the BLUETOOTH® radio prior to powering up the WLAN radio.
However, the interference resulting from Micro AP mode may have a negative impact on existing WLAN deployments. It would be desirable to choose an operational frequency of the Micro AP such that the added interference to the existing deployment is minimized. Deciding the minimum interference operational frequency by performing WLAN scanning may significantly increase power consumption. Further, the concurrent BLUETOOTH® connection may be terminated due to co-channel interference resulting from WLAN radio scanning, which in many cases is performed as an atomic operation.